Most existing oil filters, such as are commonly installed with a residential fuel oil tank, have a top piece that is shaped like a dome and that must be full of fuel for the filter to work. When the bottom filter canister that houses the fuel filter is separated from the top piece to check or change the filter element, all of the fuel that was in the dome spills out over the sides of the filter canister, onto the floor or onto the hands of the service technician or other person changing or checking the filter. Such fuel spillage is undesirable. Exposure to certain fluids is known to be unhealthy. For example, the fluid can undesirably react with human skin. Fuel odors can remain in the basement or other area where the fuel tank is located. Customers can complain, resulting in expensive service call backs. In the worst case, the spilled fuel oil could find its way to a drain or sump hole.
Furthermore, on existing filters, the inlet fitting comes straight in at a 90 degree angle. After the filter element is changed, the canister is full of air that must be removed (on a one-pipe system), or the fuel line will become air bound. Bleeding it out the old way, through the bleed screw, takes time, and can and does result in spilled oil if the filter is left unattended.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to address one or more of the foregoing disadvantages of the prior art.
Other objects will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in light of the following disclosure.